Bodum: Coffee, Tea & Kitchen Stuff

Store History

We used to think of Bodum as a good source for French presses, teapots, and not much else, but in the past few years we've been impressed by their expanding line of glassware and kitchen gadgets.

The company was founded in 1944 by a Dane named Peter Bodum. It remains a family-owned business today, with Peter's daughter Pia and son Jørgen as its current owners. The company's first big transition occurred in the 70s, when Jørgen relocated Bodum's headquarters from Copenhagen to Switzerland and began a major expansion campaign, opening shops across the US, Japan, Europe, and Australia.

The French Press was their first big product launch under Jørgen's direction, and the company used it to market their modern, functional aesthetic. It was so successful that for a long time it was really the only thing we associated with Bodum's product line. But since the launch of that first French press, they've been slowly and steadily building their collections, adding small kitchen electrics, textiles, cookware, glassware, and storage goods.

Most lines are very affordable, although we've noticed that prices have risen slightly over the last few years as designs become a little more sophisticated. For instance, Maxwell really loves their double-walled glass mugs, a line which they've been slowly improving. At $30 for a pair, they're not cheap, but they're also not astronomically priced.

Bodum products can be purchased through one of their 20 worldwide shops, their online store (where they have a sale outlet) or through major retailers like Crate & Barrel, Target, and Amazon.com.

They used to have a flagship store in Manhattan, but have since closed it and focused instead on e-commerce and placing their products with major American retailers.